Monday, June 18, 2007

TRI CITY: A 13-year-old boy was arrested Sunday after allegedly shooting his mother with an airsoft gun at a Tri City home.

The incident occurred shortly before 8 p.m. at a home on Hill Street after the boy’s father dropped him off to visit his mother, according to a court affidavit filed by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

The boy and his mother reportedly started to argue and the boy pulled out the gun, a replica of a Smith & Wesson 1911 pistol.

Airsoft guns are typically plastic, spring-loaded replicas that propel hard plastic pellets. They can cause serious injury if the pellet hits someone in the eye, according to the affidavit.

As the two were fighting, the boy allegedly shot his mother once in the cheek and once in the left arm from about 10 to 15 feet away, leaving small welts.

Police were called and the boy was arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault, recklessly endangering and harassment. He was lodged at the Douglas County Juvenile Detention Center.